Chapter 49: The Deal with Lady Cat!
Chapter 49: The Deal with Lady Cat!
Denka padded across the carpet with cat-like steps, walking obediently to Lady Cat's feet. He turned to his side, fell over, wiggled his paws, and rolled onto his back to show his belly—a series of flawlessly executed movements. His light yellow tail gently hooked around Lady Cat's fair ankle, rubbing back and forth against the slender foot. The soft cat fur and the silk-like, delicate bare foot complemented each other beautifully.
"Good day, Lady Cat." Nara Keisuke said calmly, his gaze straight ahead. "I am here to commission a ninja tool."
Sniff~ Sniff~
Lady Cat didn't respond immediately. Her nose twitched, and she extended an index finger to scratch Denka under the chin. The affectionate gesture made the ninja cat let out a comfortable "purrrr" sound from its nose.
"That's the smell of silvervine~" Lady Cat withdrew her slender, pale finger and glanced at Nara Keisuke with a mix of嗔 and complaint. "Little brother from the Nara family, such an expensive beverage will spoil a cat's palate."
Nara Keisuke pressed his lips together, using the small movement to lightly bite the tip of his tongue and focus his mind. "I was only considering that most cats are rather fond of the silvervine plant."
"Truly worthy of a child from the Nara family~" Lady Cat chuckled lightly. "I do indeed accept commissions for custom ninja tools here. What type of tool would you like to order?"
"A ninja sword," Keisuke said, giving the answer he had prepared long ago. "To be precise, a 'kodachi'."
"A bladed weapon?" Lady Cat's eyes shifted, and she replied without any hesitation. "In that case, I recommend commissioning the forging in the Land of Iron. The Land of Iron is rich in samurai, and they have extremely extensive experience in forging bladed weapons, even surpassing the craftsmen of the Land of Artisans."
"The Land of Iron?" Nara Keisuke's brow rose. He hadn't forgotten about that great mystery concerning the Land of Iron. "Does Lady Cat mean that I also need to go to the Land of Iron?"
"If it's convenient, I would suggest that Nara-kun make a trip there. After all, forging a weapon is not like other things. There must be sufficient rapport and suitability between the ninja and the weapon."
Since they were talking business, Lady Cat switched to a more formal mode of address. "Of course, I know that Konoha is facing some trouble recently... a war! So, if Nara-kun wants to entrust the forging of the kodachi, along with the supervision of the forging process, entirely to me, it is not incomprehensible... but in that case, the fee will be a bit higher."
Lady Cat held up her thumb and index finger, making a small gesture for money. A sly smile spread from between her fingers, yet it wasn't off-putting.
"It is indeed inconvenient for me to leave the village," Nara Keisuke nodded. "Let's entrust the entire task of forging and supervision to you, Lady Cat."
"No problem!" Lady Cat said, patting her chest with great confidence. "Then let's discuss the specific intentions. First, and most importantly, what is Nara-kun's approximate budget for the weapon forging?"
It was like with paper bombs. A simply constructed, low-power paper bomb and a finely crafted, high-power paper bomb would certainly have two different prices.
Nara Keisuke estimated and gave a number. "At most... about two million ryo?"
He had already received a research grant totaling one million ryo from the clan head. To forge a handy ninja tool, advancing one month's research funds from the clan head... wasn't too much to ask, right?
"Two million ryo!" Lady Cat's purple pupils suddenly contracted, and her breathing under her pert nose became unconsciously heavier. "With this budget, even hiring the best swordsmiths in the Land of Iron would be more than enough!"
The point was, the larger the client's budget, the more profit she could make. Since leaving the Nekomura clan, this was the first time Lady Cat had undertaken a single commission of such a large amount.
"What about the forging materials?" Lady Cat subconsciously licked her lips. "The Land of Iron has many high-quality ores. Additionally, I can help acquire some special ores from the black market... but that will be an extra charge."
"I have brought my own weapon materials," Keisuke said, taking out a scroll. Following the opening method the clan head had taught him, he unsealed it in front of Lady Cat. "Chakra Metal."
Poof—
With a puff of smoke, pieces of lacquer-black ore appeared before Lady Cat's eyes. She drew a sharp breath internally. Which god of wealth does this little brother from the Nara clan belong to! Just these few pieces of chakra metal alone were already worth over a million ryo! Such a rich client, such a thick thigh to hug, I absolutely cannot let him go...
"Since you're providing your own materials, the price of the forging can be reduced quite a bit," Lady Cat said, inconspicuously wiping the corner of her lips. "According to my estimate, it will cost no more than one million ryo to forge the weapon you want, Nara-kun."
"One million ryo?" Nara Keisuke was somewhat surprised. "Is that all it costs?" He still remembered being brutally humbled when he tried to ask the clan head the price of the [Chakra Crystal].
"Is that all..." Lady Cat clutched her heart, feeling as if she had been wounded by the casual air of wealth emanating from her client. "Please do not compare a ninja's view of money with an ordinary person's. Besides, even for a ninja, one million ryo is already the upper limit for a commissioned mission's fee."
"Alright!" Keisuke accepted her statement readily. A commission fee of one million ryo was completely within his psychological tolerance. "These pieces of chakra metal will mainly be used to forge the kodachi. But if there is any leftover, please mix it with other metals to create some special kunai."
"No problem!" Lady Cat also agreed crisply. "For now, we'll proceed with the 'ninja sword forging' mission commission for the amount of one million ryo. Before the mission begins, please pay a deposit of one-fifth of the mission fee, Nara-kun. Also, my rule here is to take five percent of the mission fee as my commission. Is that acceptable?"
Five percent? Keisuke shook his head. "Let's just sign the contract."
"So straightforward, Nara-kun!" Lady Cat was extremely satisfied with her client's performance. She called for a ninja cat to bring the commission scroll, and both parties signed two copies. Keisuke then handed over the chakra metal, along with the two hundred thousand ryo deposit, to Lady Cat.
"May I ask how long the forging will take?"
"Based on my past experience, it will take the masters in the Land of Iron no more than a month to forge a kodachi-type weapon."
Keisuke nodded, moving on from the topic of the sword. "Lady Cat, I saw the names of many ninjutsu in the product catalog scroll you provided just now." He looked at her. "Do you also sell ninjutsu scrolls here?"
"Of course!" Lady Cat's eyes lit up. She had still underestimated this fat sheep—no, this fat deer before her! "Denka, bring the master product list over for Nara-kun!"
Denka nimbly flipped over and quickly retrieved the scroll Lady Cat had specified. Keisuke spread it open and, according to his needs, quickly began searching the catalog.
There were still many types of techniques he lacked, such as taijutsu, genjutsu, and medical ninjutsu. But in terms of taijutsu, Keisuke wasn't interested in general styles, even though he had already obtained a C-rank taijutsu, [Arhat Fist]. As for medical ninjutsu, he could go ask Yakushi Nono'o for guidance. As for the others...
'Water Release!'
Keisuke quickly found his target ninjutsu and searched through the list. He possessed five elemental natures. Yin, Earth, Wind, and Fire already had their respective techniques; only Water Release was missing. Keisuke had wanted to buy a B-rank Water Release ninjutsu scroll from Lady Cat, but perhaps his expectations were too high. The only B-rank Water Release ninjutsu offered here was called—the Water Dragon Bullet Technique. That super fancy-hand-sign ninjutsu with forty-four hand signs! Even if Hoshigaki Kisame were here, he'd have to wave his shark-sore arm for half a minute to cast this B-rank water jutsu.
Keisuke silently closed the scroll and asked Lady Cat, "Do you have any high-level, no-hand-sign Water Release ninjutsu here?"
"..."
Lady Cat, who had been acting shrewd and cunning all this time, now showed a rare, blank, and speechless little expression. High-level, no-hand-sign Water Release ninjutsu? Boy from the Nara clan, do you hear what you're saying?
Reading the answer on her face, Keisuke didn't wait for her to reply and decisively switched targets. "I need to purchase two genjutsu scrolls." He handed the scroll back to her. "D-rank genjutsu: Mist Servant Technique and Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."
"Two genjutsu scrolls, fifty thousand ryo in total." Lady Cat dispatched another ninja cat. "Fifteen thousand for the Mist Servant Technique, and thirty-five thousand for the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique."
These two D-rank ninjutsu were very basic genjutsu. Many ninja in Konoha could use them, so the price wasn't expensive. Keisuke paid the money, received the goods, and easily obtained these two D-rank genjutsu.
A message popped up on the panel at this time.
[D-rank Technique Detected: [Mist Servant Technique]. Learn?]
[D-rank Technique Detected: [Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique]. Learn?]
After one-click learning, the two D-rank genjutsu appeared in Keisuke's [Technique Abilities] list.
"One last thing." Nara Keisuke looked at Lady Cat. "Is there any news about [Chakra Crystals] in the black market?"
"[Chakra Crystal]? Where did Nara-kun learn of such a treasure?" Lady Cat looked at him with some surprise. "For the sake of our recent transaction, I'll give you a piece of news for free. Recently, there have been rumors of a [Chakra Crystal] circulating in the black market, but it seems to have been bought by someone from the north."
(End of Chapter)
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